The present invention relates to an improved tool for use in removal of plastics material. A tool of this general type is disclosed in our UK Patent No. 2,229,660 and in our U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,019, but further improvements have been discovered. The tool is particularly, but not exclusively, useful in removing plastics cement from such bores in bones as may be used in hip, or other joint, replacements (hereinafter referred to, for convenience, as hip joint replacements).
In a hip joint replacement operation, a metal implant is provided with a long projection which is inserted into a hole drilled in the medulla of the femur and is held firmly in place by means of a plastics cement. On average, such replacements can be expected to last five to ten years. However, due to repetitive shearing forces during daily use, either the bone/cement interface or the cement/metal interface may weaken and the implant will become loose, requiring revision. Sometimes, the metal of the hip replacement may fracture or the plastics components may wear out. In these cases, revision is necessary although in most cases the bone/cement interface usually remains quite strong.
In order to revise any loose or damaged implant, all or most of the plastics cement must be removed before inserting a new prosthesis and re-cementing. Removal of the old cement presents a number of difficulties. It is time-consuming and may cause fracturing of the bone. It involves the careful and tedious use of hand tools such as hammers and cement cutting chisels. High speed burrs have been used, but they frequently perforate the bone and make recementing more difficult and not so effective.